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The Birth of the Dread Remora

A Tale of the Scattered Earth

By Aaron Rosenberg

The Tales of the Scattered Earth:

Once, long ago, there was one Earth. It was said that many deities gazed down upon it protectively, and there was balance between them all. Then something went wrong. The balance shifted—toward darkness. Earth was shattered, her people destroyed, her remains scattered far and wide. But the gods survived the cataclysm. They scattered as well, each pursuing a fragment of their former domain. And, when they overtook those shards, the gods drew upon what power remained to them to restore their worshippers to life.

These new followers rose from dust and imperfect memory, for the gods too had been injured. Each claimed a new home, and a new life, and each thought itself—at least at first—to be the only Earth. All memory of their former world was lost, except vague memories of the gods who gave them new life. Then, one day, a single great event drew all their eyes to the stars—and beyond. And each of them felt a yearning. Something in them desired to be whole again, or at least to understand.

These are their stories.

These are The Tales of the Scattered Earth.

The Birth of the Dread Remora: Nathaniel Demming is a midshipman aboard the HMES Remora, the first ship to go beyond their world’s waters and out into the ether. He and the rest of the crew are ready for adventure, eager to explore the unknown and chart a new course for the rest of their world to follow. But what they found changed their lives, and their perspective, forever. The ether was not empty at all, but teeming with life–including vicious marauders waiting to prey upon the hapless Remora. Can Demming help his friends and fellow officers through the crises that await? Can they survive the dangers that surround them? And can he convince them to transform their ship and themselves into the antithesis of everything they trained for, while still holding true to everything they believe in?

The Birth of the Dread Remora is the first tale of the epic Scattered Earth saga, and the first in a series of swashbuckling adventures about the space-pirate ship the Dread Remora! Also available in the Dread Remora Cycle, The Honor of the Dread Remora, and Crossed Paths. Next in line is David Niall Wilson’s The Second Veil, and then Keith R. A. DeCandido’s Guilt in Innocence. Each author begins with their own world, their own culture, their own story…but there is something out there…something that will draw them altogether. Watch for more from these authors, as well as a brand new world and novel from award-winning author Melissa Scott in the summer of 2014.

Additional information

1 review for The Birth of the Dread Remora – A Novel of the Scattered Earth

Rated 5 out of 5

Darren Pulsford–January 6, 2012

Set in the Scattered Earth series of tales – currently being filled by this author, David Niall Wilson and Keith DeCandido – this book acts as a founding of the Dread Remora tales to come, the first of which, Crossed Paths, is already available on the Kindle.

Set in a Universe that fans of Babylon 5 and Stargate will revel in, the story is a tightly written, tense and action-packed adventure, bristling with energy and excitement as it charts the HMES Remora and her Crew as they bravely venture out from their home planet as the first space pioneers of their race, exploring the Ether after sighting a bright light – the first such contact from beyond their world ever recorded.

After the initial shock of reaching the Ether subsides, the Crew quickly have to deal with harsh new realities: pirate raids, an alien environment in which to travel, and new skills to quickly learn. The Author guides the characters through this mix of unexpected and unforeseen events with purpose, as the lead roles begin to develop and mature into their new positions, and loyalties and alliances are tested and strengthened. As the novel develops from bright new shock to gritty survival, so the characters begin to reflect the altered mission and become hardened, more rounded travellers, far removed from the wide-eyed innocence of their initial training and voyage.

Skilfully testing both the Ship and Crew, the novel builds to a climax that opens up fresh possibilities for new adventures – as the follow up short story Crossed Paths will detail. It also brings a hard choice to the Crew on their future path and how best to complete their original mission within the violence and unknown of the Ether. In order to survive, they have to decide on courses of action previously unthinkable, and this leads to the Birth of the Dread Remora itself – a clever solution that uses the qualities of the piscine namesake ingeniously.
New races are unique and well detailed, with a nice mix of the nasty space pirates and the benevolent explorers along the way. The Crew of the Remora herself are amphibian, a fresh take on space-faring races that is well used at several points in the novel, and gives both the Crew and the story a fresh edge that readers will enjoy.

Overall – this is a really enjoyable story that mixes exploration, action and emotional tension with great style and a flowing storyline that will have you anxiously awaiting the next tale of the Dread Remora.

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